Top Ten Ways to Boost Small Business Sales

If there’s one thing that just about every small business could do with, it’s more sales. And never has this been more the case than now when even the best run businesses are finding themselves a little short on customers. Unfortunately however, boosting sales is a lot easier said than done. It’s also a goal that is rarely achieved for free.

Though entire books have been written on the subject, there are a few simple ways that just about any small business can increase their sales figures. Here are ten tips for increasing your monthly numbers.

Improve Your Sales Team

Never underestimate just how important your sales staff are. There is very little point in tweaking your marketing to get more people in the door only for your sales staff to blow it at the final hurdle. Take a look at who is talking to your customers. What are they saying? Are they helping or hurting the likelihood of those customers making a purchase? If the answer is the latter, you need to rethink your training policy.

Accept Credit Cards

Do you accept credit cards? If not, why not? More and more people are finding themselves a little strapped for cash lately. Perhaps your customers might appreciate being able to pay with plastic.

Increase Your Open Hours

Another simple way of increasing sales is to simply stay open longer. Take a look at your current hours of operation and question whether or not you could profit from opening earlier or closing later. If you are currently closed on Sundays, ask yourself if doing so is costing you sales.

Create an Online Presence

If you’re not online, get online. Even if the products that you sell are not suitable for e commerce, an online presence can greatly boost awareness of your high street premises. Is it possible that there are many potential customers in your area that simply haven’t heard of you?

Bundle Deals

Bundle deals are always effective when it comes to getting customers to spend a little more. Consider a buy two, get one free offer. Or bundle complimentary products into an extra value pack. Consumers love getting something free, and when they associate your business with that feeling, they will stop by more often.

Remove the Risk

Risk is the last thing that you want your customers to associate with purchasing from you. Fear that they will regret the purchase is one of the number one reasons that a consumer decides not to purchase something. You can remove this fear by offering a liberal money back guarantee.

Make returning your products an easy process and publicize this fact. Though this decision might lead to a few more returns, its effect on your sales is likely to be far more drastic.

Know Your Customers

There’s a reason most businesses collect the contact details of both current and potential customers. If you are not currently doing so, you are almost certainly losing sales as a result. Marketing to those who have shown a genuine interest in your products in the past is known to offer the most ROI in the future. If you have a limited advertising budget, this is where a serious portion of it should be going.

Diversify

Clever business owners know that it is easier to sell more products to existing customers than it is to sell existing products to more customers. Don’t be afraid to diversify. Look at your existing customers and the products that they are purchasing. What other products would fit them perfectly?

Loyalty Programs

It’s not just major supermarkets that can benefit from loyalty programs. Offer repeat customers special deals. For example, hand out coupons with every purchase that offer fifteen percent off future purchases. Or if you sell something that is often purchased on a daily basis, make every sixth visit free of charge.

Create Mutually Beneficial Partnerships

Finally, consider the possibility of creating mutually beneficial partnerships with other businesses in your area. Don’t turn to your competitors but rather other businesses that sell complimentary products. If you can set up a relationship whereby you both recommend each others products, you can both expect to experience a nice boost in sales.